2023-11-19 15:54:01
Daboub, Palestine national team coach: We seek to increase our dream of reaching the World Cup
Palestine national football team coach, Makram Daboub, said (Saturday) that his team seeks to give the people some hope and bring some joy to the country suffering from the scourge of war, by achieving success in the joint qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup.
Tunisian Daboub added to the Arab World News Agency, “Despite the pain, we want to give some hope to the people and make them happy, and our mission is to be among the qualifiers for the Asian Cup finals in Qatar, and to reach the third round of qualifiers for the World Cup finals.” For 43 days, Israel has launched continuous attacks on the densely populated Gaza Strip, killing more than 12,000 people, including 5,000 children, in addition to more than 30,000 injured. Daboub said: “After reaching the third round of the World Cup qualifiers, why doesn’t the dream grow bigger by achieving an achievement and reaching the World Cup finals for the first time? We have a good team that is constantly developing, and we will move step by step to achieve the desired goal.”
The Tunisian coach stressed that the role of the football team is very important “to convey the voice of Palestine and raise the flag of Palestine high, and our presence in international forums is proof of the Palestinian presence and that the Palestinian people deserve freedom and a better life.”
The Palestinian team tied without goals with Lebanon, last Thursday, in the opening round of the Group Nine competitions in the joint qualifiers for the World Cup and the Asian Cup, and will play in the second round against Australia, next Tuesday, and the match will be held in Kuwait. This group also includes Bangladesh.
Daboub praised the performance of his players against Lebanon, and said: “Despite the difficulties and preparations that were not ideal; Due to the suspension of the league, the difficult conditions and psychological stress, all the players were determined to achieve a positive result, and we were closer to winning.”
He added: “Regarding the course of the match, I think we missed two important points for the rest of the campaign. We were closer to winning and missed many chances, but getting a point is important off the field… In every match in the qualifiers we try to get the most points to achieve the goal of qualifying for the third round of the Cup qualifiers.” the world”.
Dabboub is aware of the strength of the Australian team, the former Asian champion, but he will also try to get a positive result, and will wait for the support of the fans.
The Palestine coach said: “The Australian team is strong, and one of the best teams in the Asian continent, and even in the world, after the good performances it showed in the last World Cup finals, but we will strive to achieve a positive result.”
He added: “We have a good group of players, and we hoped to play in Palestine. Let us have the support of the public and the advantage of playing on our home soil, but in light of these exceptional circumstances we will play in Kuwait, and the Arab community will certainly be present in large numbers to encourage the Palestinian team.”
Daboub explained that the Palestinian national team is experiencing a difficult situation. Due to the war, it disrupted the team’s preparations for the joint qualifiers. He said: “We were prevented from participating in a friendly international tournament in Malaysia. Because of the war and the situation in the West Bank, and the difficulty and great danger of movement between cities.”
He added: “The players are busy 24 hours a day with the situation in the Gaza Strip, while traveling on the bus for training and at the hotel.”
The Tunisian coach continued: “The psychological aspect is very important, and we are working to support the players, but this is a reality and the war is continuing, and the players from Gaza feel anxious, confused, and afraid for their families in the Gaza Strip.”
The Palestine national team squad includes 10 players from foreign clubs, and Daboub wants to increase this number in light of the suspension and irregularity of the local league.
Daboub said: “Palestinian football has many talents, but the weakness of the league due to difficult circumstances does not help the development of players… With the suspension of the league, the players’ professionalism will benefit the Palestinian national team.”
It is noteworthy that Makram Daboub (50 years old) is a former goalkeeper for the Tunisian club Esperance Zarzis, and after his retirement, he took over the position of assistant coach for his compatriot Mukhtar Al-Tlili in training the Palestine national team in 2010.
Daboub remained in his position with the Palestine national team with several coaches, before becoming the first coach in 2021.
After facing Australia next, Palestine’s focus will shift on the football level to play in the Asian Cup in Qatar early next year, and will begin its campaign in January against Iran before also playing with the Emirates and Hong Kong in the group stage.
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